Amid what appears to be a worldwide wine shortage, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer is planning to introduce a law that would allow the U.S. Postal Service to ship beer, wine and spirits to customers.

The ban on post office alcohol shipments dates to Prohibition. Alcohol can currently be shipped via delivery companies like UPS or FedEx, except to or from states where that is prohibited.

Schumer believes allowing the post office to handle alcohol shipments will help the financially struggling federal agency make money. He also thinks it will help New York's wine, beer and spirits industries - all of which have been experiencing rapid growth in the number of producers in recent years.

That could be good news for New York's wineries, said Jim Trezise, director of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, an umbrella agency that promotes the state wine industry.

There are now 351 wineries in the state, Trezise said, and total production by those wineries has been growing modestly in recent years. The state now produces about 200 million bottles per year, although about 80 percent of that is made by Constellation Brands, the Rochester-based company that is the world's largest wine and spirits company. Most of the state's wineries are small operations.

Shortages of wine from other countries could help create demand and keep prices higher for New York wineries that try to fill the gap, Trezise said.

"Especially this year (the 2013 harvest) has been especially good in quantity and quality," Trezise said. He noted that the abundance of quality grapes in the recent harvest prompted many wineries to buy more fermentation tanks, meaning there will be more wine available in the next few years when this vintage goes to market.

Trezise also supports Schumer's idea to allow postal shipping of alcohol, because that competition with FedEx and UPS could drive down the costs.

"That will benefit both the shippers (wineries) and the consumers, giving them another way to go with increased competition," Trezise said.

Trezise said about half the state's wineries ship out of state, usually to no more than four or five other states. About 37 states have agreements that allow shipping, although there are different fees and regulations that apply to different states.

New York began allowing private company shipments of wine after a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision, which ruled that states could not prohibit out of state shipments while also shipping within the state.

That ruling and New York's subsequent relaxing of shipping rules significantly increased the availability and prestige of the state's wines, which can now be shipped to major markets like California. That, in turn, led national and international wine critics to pay more attention to New York wines.

"The publications like Wine Spectator didn't really cover New York wines before that because so many of their readers couldn't find it," Trezise said. "That's changed."

As far as the wine shortage and its effect on Central New York consumers, one local retailer has a message: Don't worry too much.

"There's no shortage that I can see," said Chuck Pascale, owner of Pascale Liquor Square in DeWitt and Pascale Restaurant in Fayetteville. "I don't think the wine buying public will notice any change at all."

He also said that the price of wines above $20 has remained "pretty stagnant" in recent years.

"The big change I've seen after 35 years in this business is that there aren't as many people buying wine to keep," he said. "There's much interest in buying wine for immediate consumption."